The Karnataka Police have launched a hunt for a Maulvi for delivering hate speech and instigating a mob to indulge in large-scale violence after an objectionable post appeared on social media, police said on Tuesday.

Maulvi Waseem went missing after finding out that the police are after him.

According to police, Waseem addressed an agitated mob, which had gathered to protest against the post. After his inflammatory speech, large-scale violence happened in Hubballi. The police have collected the video of the hate speech and that video shows the accused Maulvi standing on a vehicle of the police commissioner and delivering his speech, police said.

Police said that instigated by his speech, the mob started pelting stones and damaging vehicles. The police have arrested more than 120 persons in connection with the violence. Many accused have disappeared fearing arrest by the police. The eight special teams formed to nab the accused have continued their operations.

The 4th JMFC court had remanded 88 accused persons and the youth who had put out the objectionable post to judicial custody till April 30. Police sources said that among the total 48 CCTV cameras installed for monitoring in Hubballi city only 21 were working and seven cameras were missing. The investigation has suffered a setback due to this fact in identifying miscreants.

Meanwhile, due to the efforts of police, the situation in Hubballi has returned to normalcy. However, prohibitory orders will continue till April 20 in the city. The city will also continue to have heavy police protection.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)